Lessons from a first time SXSWer: Face your FOMO

If you struggle with FOMO, SXSW will be a hard place for you. At any one time, there are literally dozens of panel choices, meet-ups, happy hours, lounges, and demos at choose from, plus thousands of people to talk to- there’s just no way to do it all. You could easily spend every moment of your SXSW experience planning your next move, strategizing how you’ll get there in time, and running (or pedicabbing) from one thing to the next.

But this is the cruel irony of FOMO.

If you let FOMO take over, you’ll miss everything.

The best piece of advice I got on tackling SXSW came from Amy Vernon: Set a schedule, then go with the flow.

If you spend all of your South by days worrying and wondering and scrambling for the next thing, you’ll never be present, and you’ll never enjoy where you are. The real secret to South by is this: wherever you are, be there and make the most of that. If you’re happy, stay; if you’re unhappy move on.